


Warm Inside

by Writinginstardust



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Dorian being super caring, F/M, Fluff, Nudity, it's just really soft, minor injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 03:36:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18044693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writinginstardust/pseuds/Writinginstardust
Summary: Injured and unable to wash the mud and river muck from herself, (Y/N) is cared for by Dorian and the two tread new ground in their relationship .





	Warm Inside

The muddy water of the stream seemed to freeze my body in an instant as I was thrown into it and submerged in its icy depths. Luckily it was shallow enough for me to stand with ease, unluckily I’d twisted my ankle and wading the short distance to the shore felt like an impossible feat. The wind and rain whipped at my chilled skin as I limped forward, fighting the current that wanted to drag me downstream with every agonising step. Two familiar hands reached out to me as I drew closer to the muddy bank and Dorian pulled me out onto the grass.

“(Y/N)! (Y/N), are you okay? Are you hurt?” His worried yell was almost whisked away completely by the howling wind. I nodded, yes to both questions, and pointed to my left ankle and wrist, knowing my voice would never be audible over the storm. I knew he understood when a concerned frown settled on his face. There wasn’t time to check how bad I was hurt right then and I knew he hated having to wait but we needed to get out of this storm, to somewhere dry and warm, before either one of us froze.

With seemingly minimal effort, Dorian lifted me onto his horse and climbed up behind. He grabbed the reins of my horse and brought us back to the road before urging the horses into a gallop towards the town nearby. Fortunately we weren’t far away and as we stopped by the inn I could only hope the guards whose horses had bolted could find their way easily.

The warmth of the hearths fell over us like a blanket as we entered and I sighed in relief. Raindrops dripped from my clothes and wood creaked beneath my feet with every step across the room. The innkeeper looked up at our approach, a surprisingly friendly smile on his face, before doing a double take as he recognised us beneath our sodden cloaks.

“Your Highness, Lady (Y/N), what an honour.” His voice was low and he did little more than a quick bow of the head so as not to draw attention, obviously noting the lack of guards with us. “Are you in need of a room? They aren’t exactly luxurious but they’re warm and beat being out in this storm.”

“A room would be most welcome and may I request a hot bath as well? (Y/N) ended up in a river… hence the mud.” Dorian gestured at me and I rolled my eyes.

“I think he could work out the mud came from the river himself.”

“Not necessarily my dear, you could have had a bout of madness and decided to roll around on the ground or something.”

“But you already mentioned the river, why would he think anything else?”

“You never know what people might think.”

“You’re impossible.” I turned back to the innkeeper who had been watching our conversation with a faint smile. “Sorry about him.”

“No need to apologise. I assume you’re happy with a double room? It’s our nicest and the only vacant one right now but if i’m misunderstanding I can get someone to change rooms.”

“No need for that, we wouldn’t want to inconvenience anyone and we’re perfectly fine sharing. Assuming we can get the river stench off (Y/N) anyway.” He grinned mischievously and I scowled at him.

“Honestly I don’t know why I put up with you sometimes.”

“Maybe because I’m dashingly handsome and actually have a sense of humour unlike most people at court.”

“That’s debatable.”

“You wound me my love.”

As we’d been talking the innkeeper had gestured over a girl around our age and asked her to ready the bath in our room. She smiled at us both, eyes wide with surprise and disappeared upstairs before we’d even finished talking.

“Hopefully our travel companions will show up here sometime, we lost them in the storm. They’re 4 royal guards, 3 men and 1 woman. If they turn up could you let us know? Whatever the hour, I don’t mind being awoken, I’d like to know they’re alright. And if there’s any way you could accommodate them I’d be very grateful.”

“Of course, I’ll find somewhere for them to stay should they arrive.” He smiled and slid a key over to us. “Your room is up the stairs, 1st floor, door at the far end. I hope you’ll sleep well and can I say, you make a very lovely couple.” I felt my cheeks heat at that as Dorian just smiled and thanked him before taking my hand and leading me to the stairs. Our relationship was still fairly new and my first, it was something very few people knew about. Even though I’d been hopelessly in love with Dorian for years I was a bit embarrassed he could tell so easily.

Climbing the stairs took a little longer than it should have as I struggled up with Dorian’s help so by the time we made it to the room the bath had already been drawn and was steaming temptingly. The girl from earlier bobbed a curtsey as we entered and asked if we needed anything else. She seemed nervous and Dorian assured her we’d be fine, allowing her to leave which she did with surprising speed. I made a note to thank her before we left. She seemed nice if a little shy. Dorian turned to me once the door was safely locked and pulled off his cloak and jacket, tossing them over a chair with my own. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he spoke.

“Do you…uh…need me to help? With your clothes or anything else? I know this is a rather large step but your wrist…” He trailed off clearly as nervous as I was about the situation. We’d decided to take things slow since it was all new to me and being undressed before him was…a lot. But trying to bathe without the use of one hand didn’t seem like an easy task. I’d struggled enough just to shed my cloak and jacket.

“I’m- I think I might need a hand…if-if that’s alright?” My cheeks felt like they were on fire and I couldn’t look at him as I accepted his offer. He stepped in front of me and cupped my dirty face in his hands, making me look at him as he gave me a reassuring smile.

“It’s alright to be nervous but I promise you don’t need to worry. Just let me know if it’s too much and we’ll work something else out.”

I took a deep steadying breath and nodded. He smiled and kissed me quickly before pulling away and walking behind me to untie my hair. After that he worked methodically on removing the rest of my sodden clothes, checking I was okay with every article before peeling it off my soaked form. Every few seconds he dropped a kiss on my cheek or neck or shoulder, murmuring soothing words and little jokes that made me giggle and took some of the awkwardness from the situation.

With the last of my clothes gone a shiver ran through me and I wasn’t sure if it was from the slight chill or Dorian’s gaze. Before I could start feeling too awkward Dorian pulled me into his arms and just held me until I felt more comfortable, hands stroking soothingly over my back.

“You okay?” I nodded and he took a step back, lightly brushing my hair back and pressing his lips to my forehead. “You’re beautiful (Y/N). Even covered in mud and smelling like a river, you’re so beautiful.” I huffed out a little laugh, thankful for his ability to lighten almost any mood and make me feel at ease.

He took my uninjured hand and helped me into the bath. As the warmth of the water enveloped me I couldn’t contain a sigh of pleasure and simply relaxed in the heat for a moment as Dorian discarded his shirt to keep it dry while he helped me.

Dorian’s fingers started carding through my hair, untangling the knots gently before he grabbed the soap nearby and started washing it thoroughly. The feel of him massaging my scalp and smoothing down the length of my hair so carefully was absolute heaven and I let my eyes flutter shut to more fully focus on the calming sensation. Too soon he was done and rinsing the soap out and a little knot of fear formed in my stomach. He was going to have to help me wash - I knew I couldn’t do it myself - and it quickly started to feel like too much.

The sudden tenseness in my body didn’t go unnoticed by Dorian and he put down the wash cloth he’d reached for, turning to me with worry in his eyes.

“Are you alright?” He asked softly and twined our fingers together on the edge of the tub.

“I…I just…” I struggled to articulate what I was feeling but he understood immediately what the problem was.

“Darling it’s fine if you’re not comfortable with this. There’s nothing to be worried about but i understand if it’s too much.” His free hand came up to cradle my face and the soothing motion of his thumb caressing my cheek started to relax me. He was right, there was nothing to be scared of. I mean this was  _Dorian_ , the man I loved and one of the sweetest, most considerate people I’d ever met. I could do this.

“No it’s…I’ll be okay. I trust you.”

He smiled and leaned in to press a lingering kiss to my lips. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the tub as Dorian picked up the wash cloth and started gently washing the mud from my skin. The whole time he whispered soothing things and little jokes to me as he slowly cleansed and warmed my body.

I felt tingly and light by the time he was done, despite my initial anxiety at the situation it was the most comfortable I’d ever been. With only a little warning Dorian lifted my from the water and set me carefully on my feet. He grabbed a large towel and cocooned me in it before pulling me into his chest and littering my face with little pecks that had giggles bubbling from my lips.

He was the perfect man I decided as he helped me dry off, keeping his eyes on my face as his hands roamed almost shyly. I was lost for words at his efforts to keep me from any discomfort or anxiety even after being naked around him all that time. His proximity and the tenderness pouring out of him might have had something to do with that too.

Leaving me with the towel, he crossed the room to pick up his shirt, walking back to me and sliding it over my head. It was then I realised we had no change of clothes until the guards arrived. The shirt hung to mid thigh and i was thankful for its size as I remembered I’d have nothing to wear with it.

I attempted to dry my hair one-handed and failed miserably before Dorian took over and did his best to get the remaining water from it. It was still damp when we had to stop and admit defeat but hopefully the heat from the hearth wouldn’t take long to finish the job. After brushing through my hair as best he could with his fingers, Dorian gently turned my face to his and brushed his lips lightly over my own.

He lifted me with ease and laid me gently on the bed, pulling the covers over me as I curled up on the surprisingly comfy mattress. It didn’t take long for him to take his own bath and join me in bed when he was done.

“Let me have a look at that wrist.” Wordlessly I held it out for him to inspect and he took it in both of his, brow furrowing as he concentrated. I hissed and winced occasionally as he moved or prodded it. “Sorry. I think it will be okay but I’ll get something to wrap it in for you.”

Before I could protest he’d left the room to see what he could get from the innkeeper. I sighed and snuggled deeper into the warmth of the bed, feeling my eyes drooping with exhaustion more with every passing second. I was almost asleep by the time Dorian returned and, lacking the energy to move much, allowed him to wrap my wrist and ankle without a word. It felt nice to have him taking care of me and the gentle brushes of his fingers against my skin as he did was incredibly soothing. He finished just as i felt my awareness fading completely and i feel asleep with a smile on my face as i felt his arms wrap around me and his lips against my forehead. If I’d stayed awake a little longer I might have seen the loving smile directed at me, felt the hand stroking through my hair, or heard the whispered  _I love you_ , but for now they would remain known only to the man beside me and the gentle embrace of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr request for Dorian seeing you naked for the first time. They wanted it super soft and I hope I delivered on that. 
> 
> As always any feedback is welcomed, I love hearing from you guys! xxx


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